Reminder: St. John's Grad Conference Submissions due Thursday!

Many of you are compiling panels to submit for the graduate conference, and we can't wait to see all the proposals! Don't forget that we will also accept individual papers. The deadline is Thursday. Please submit abstracts to stjgradconference@gmail.com.

CFP: St. John's Graduate Conference

St. John’s University English Graduate Conference Call for Papers

Discourses of Power: Subjugation, Struggle and Sacrifice in Literary and Political Cultures

Saturday, April 21, 2012

St. John’s University

8000 Utopia Parkway

Jamaica, NY 11439

“The oppressors do not perceive their monopoly on having moreas a privilege which dehumanizes others and themselves.” - Paulo Freire

What motivates humanity’s desire to gain and retain power? Competition for control has permeated society through struggles of class, race, gender, sexuality and ability, in both the public and domestic spheres. Subjugated classes fight for empowerment, while dominant classes struggle to maintain the status quo. Literary, cultural, and political studies have attempted to challenge dominant discourse and shatter hegemony. During the St. John’s University Graduate Conference we will explore issues of power in the private and public spheres. We are seeking submissions considering the discourses of power.

Individual papers may be submitted, but panel submissions are encouraged. Multimedia will be available for Power Point presentations, music, or video. Abstracts (150 words or less) are due by March 15 to stjgradconference@gmail.com. Include abstracts in email as a PDF or MS Word attachment. If submitting as a panel, please include an abstract for each individual paper. The names and contact information for each panelist should be included in the email submission but NOT on the abstract attachments.

You may direct any questions to stjgradconference@gmail.com. Serving on the St. John’s English Graduate Conference Committee are Dr. Steve Mentz, Tara Bradway, Regina Duthely, and Elizabeth Walsh. Please feel free to forward this to any other possibly interested parties.

Paper topics might include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Class relations in literature
• Writing Pedagogy and Compositional Theory
• Power relationships in drama
• Political discourse
• African-American rhetoric
• Trauma Studies
• Disability Studies
• New Media and the Digital Culture
• Queer Studies
• Post-colonialism
• Feminism
• Law and Literature
• Topics related to history or social sciences